President Trump has appointed Sean Plankey as the new head of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which operates under the Department of Homeland Security.
Plankey, a retired U.S. Coast Guard officer, is returning to the Trump administration for a second time. During Trump’s first term, he served as director for cyber policy at the National Security Council before becoming principal deputy assistant energy secretary for cybersecurity, energy security, and emergency response. His appointment has been met with support from industry leaders.
Trump established CISA in 2018 but dismissed its first director, Chris Krebs, after Krebs declared the 2020 election “the most secure in American history.” Brian Ware, who served as assistant director for cybersecurity, also resigned at the time.
In the lead-up to the 2024 election, CISA issued warnings about foreign misinformation campaigns, including fabricated videos originating from Russia. Now, the agency is reviewing its own role in election security, with at least a dozen officials placed on administrative leave. Since 2020, CISA has maintained that while it flagged misinformation to social media platforms, it never engaged in censorship.
